MODULE 25 - COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT OF HIGH SCHOOL LEARNERS

At the end of this module, students should be able to describe the cognitive
development of adolescents in light of Piaget's and Siegler's cognitive development
theories, explain the consequences of the adolescents' cognitive development on their
behavior, define overachievement and underachievement, and propose solutions to
underachievement.
Adolescence is a time for rapid cognitive development. At this stage of
development, there is a decrease in egocentric thoughts, while the individual's thinking
takes more of an abstract form. This allows the individual to think and reason from a
wider perspective. Behavioral studies also show the development of executive functions
comprised of cognitive functions that enable the control and coordination of thoughts
and behavior. Adolescence is therefore a period of human development that has a great
influence on an individual's future life through character and personality formation.

Similarly, as remarkable as the physical changes during adolescence are

changes in thinking patterns, these changes are marked by the acquisition of new
cognitive skills due to the brain's increasing weight and refining synaptic connections
(technically known as corpus collosum), which join and coordinate the two hemispheres
of the brain. Another brain development is the process of correlated temporal and
parietal areas (technically known as myelination). This second development covers the
brain systems whose executive functions relate to attention, verbal fluency, language,
and planning.

Through brain scanning, three peaks in brain maturation have been identified by
neurological scientists, and these are at age 12, age 15, and age 18.5, coinciding with
operational thinking processes for logical reasoning. Accompanying brain changes in
cognitive ability, the adolescent begins to acquire spatial awareness and formulate
abstract or general ideas involving numbers, order, and cause-and-effect. All these
changes propel the adolescent from the world of sensible and concrete thoughts to the
world of possible and universal ideas (e.g., general ideas about the good, true, and
beautiful).

Piaget's Formal Operational Thinker

Piaget developed the notion of formal operational thinking, which shows how an
adolescent's cognitive ability enables him or her to focus on what is abstract,
hypothetical, and feasible rather than just the reasonable and tangible. The teenager
starts to think more subtly in this area, moving into the domain of possibilities and
futures. To be more precise, formal operational thinking includes:
a) Propositional thinking: making assertions outside of visual evidence and stating what
may be possible in things not seen by the eyes (for example, whether an unseen
object is red or green, big or small, flat or round).
b) Relativistic thinking: subjectively making an opinion on facts involving one's own bias,
prejudice, or distortion of facts, which may be either right or wrong (for example,
arguing for or against the superiority of the races, whether white, brown, yellow, or
black).
c) Real versus possible: examining a situation and exploring the possible in terms of
situations or solutions (e.g., possible success in implementing a student project or a
school policy).

For Piaget, one indication of the presence of formal operational thinking is the
ability of the adolescent thinker to perform combinational analysis, which is taking stock
of the effects of several variables in a situation and testing one variable at a time, not
randomly. An application of a situation that requires combinational analysis is the school
laboratory experiment, where high school students test chemical elements singly and in
combination, resulting in an understanding of chemical changes.
A new capacity known as hypothetic-deductive reasoning emerges in adolescent
reasoning, from general facts or situations to a particular conclusion. As an example of
determining variables and producing and acknowledging a truth, the school pendulum
experiment illustrates the transitional process of developing a conclusion from a
hypothesis.
Scientific evidence shows that while adolescents may obtain the capacity for
formal operational thinking, only experience and education will allow them to practice it.
School math and science activities such as performing physics-type problems (balance'
scales, pendulums, projections of images and shadows, etc.) certainly help in
actualizing formal operational thinking.
Outside of formal operational thinking through mathematical and science studies,
the adolescent enters into a new capability, which makes him a problem-solving thinker.
This involves identifying problems and seeking new and creative solutions for them. The
problem-finding thinker is one who is able to rethink and reorganize ideas and ask
questions, even defining totally new problems not previously seen.
The adolescent may further experience an increase in depth of thought. Thus, he
or she is able to bring what is logically "best" for everyday life, whether or not this may
be the objectively correct solution or response to a situation or problem.

Siegler's Information Processing Skills

As in information-processing theories, Robert Siegler views the influence of the
environment on thinking. He sees cognitive growth not as stages of development but
more as a sequential acquisition of specific knowledge and strategies for problem-
solving. He observes the quality of information the adolescent processes that influences
him/her in facing tasks at hand through strategies or rules.
In his experiments, Siegler used rule models in relation to balance, weight,
distance, conflict-weight, conflict-distance, and other conflict balance problems. He
examined the correct and wrong answers to each of the problems, drawing out rule
models for thinking and knowing.
Thereupon, adolescents may show: (a) speed in information processing, coupled
with greater awareness and control and an acquired knowledge base—a more efficient
kind of thinking compared with that of the child; (b) complexity by way of considering
longer-term implications and possibilities beyond the here-and-now; and (c) increased
volume of information processing coupled with a longer memory span.
Metacognition
Among the cognitive advances in adolescence is metacognition, which is the
ability to identify one's own thinking processes and strategies, inclusive of perception,
memory, understanding, application, analysis, assessment, and innovation. The
adolescent is able to state "I know that" among the memory data stored in his mind;
also, he is able to state “I know how," referring to procedural processes that improve
memory recall through the use of a mnemonic device. The adolescent may also spend
time reflecting on a material to be learned by answering mentally such questions as
what, why, where, and how. All these are demonstrations of higher-order thinking skills
during adolescence.
Another important development is the ability of the adolescent to process
information. Information theorist Robert Siegler sees a sequential acquisition of specific
knowledge and strategies for problem solving. He observes the quality of information
processes that face tasks at hand through strategies and rules. Rules relate to balance,
weight, distance, conflict weight, conflict distance, and conflict balance problems.
Thereupon, the adolescent shows (a) speed in information processing coupled
with awareness and control and (b) complexity by way of considering linger-term
implications and possibilities beyond the here-and-now. (c) increased volume of
information processing, coupled with longer memory spans across many areas or
domains of knowledge. The adolescent thus transforms from being a novice to
becoming a near-expert.

Overachievement
During adolescence, he/she can achieve very high academic grades, in spite of
not getting 10 grades that are at the top 3 or 5 percent of the hell curve. The case of
overachievers is a reminder that the Intelligence Quotient test is not the only
determinant in school achievement. There are other factors such as motivation interest,
work habits, and personality development. Beyond statistical achievement in curricular
subjects (English, Math, Science, Araling Panlipunan, etc.) the overachieving
adolescent may demonstrate superior work habits, greater interest in school work, more
consistency in doing assignments, and more grade/ performance consciousness.
Overall, they show more responsibility, consciousness and planning compared with
"normal" achievers.

Characteristics of overachievers are:

1. Positive self- value (self-esteem, confidence, optimism);
2. Openness to authority (responsive to expectations of parents and teachers);
3. Positive interpersonal relations (responsive and sensitive to feelings of others);
4. Less conflict on the issue of self-autonomy (feels freedom to make right choices,
initiates and leads activities);
5. Academic orientation (disciplined work habits, high motivation to discover and
learn, interest in study values and varied fields of study);
6. Goal orientation (efficiency and energy in organizing, planning, setting target,
prioritizing long-term goals over short-term rewards); and
7. Control over anxiety (well composed and relaxed performance of organized
tasks).
Underachievement
The adolescent may perform below the standards set. Possible potentials do not
cope with the opportunity to learn and score in the top quarter of measured academic
ability. Grades are below measured aptitudes for academic achievement.
Underachievement may become more pronounced when high school class work
becomes more demanding.
Withdrawn underachievers refer to those who have a more pronounced tendency
to be passive resulting in being submissive and docile. They follow the path of no
resistance, not reacting to given assignments and school regulations. Generally quiet,
they do not participate in class activities. Aggressive underachievers are those who tend
to be talkative, disruptive and rebellious.

Behavior and adolescent cognitive growth

There are behavioral tendencies that may accompany cognitive growth during
adolescence. These are:
1. Egocentrism. This is the adolescents' tendency to think too much of themselves
while being too sensitive to social acceptance of their appearance, actions,
feelings, ideas, etc. Egocentrist teens feel they are being watched like an actor
on stage; keep an imaginary audience of strict critics of dress, behavior, or
performance. One egocentric strain is an exaggerated feeling of self-importance,
which may lead to murky early boy-girl relationships, dangerous escapades, and
adventures.
2. Idealism. This refers to imagining the far-fetched and less ideal situations at
home, in school, and in society. The teen may imagine a utopia or heaven on
earth, leading to discouragement when social realities become harsh (e.g.,
unexpectedly low grades, family discord, etc.).
3. Increased argumentativeness. Teens enjoy learning through the use of group
dynamics, including role play, discussion, debate, and drama. Strict imposition of
the use of English on campus has been the strategy of premiere schools to
develop argumentative students who later on transform into leaders in politics,
business, and other top professional fields.

Implications to adolescent care, education and parenting

Parents and teachers must be able to recognize the cognitive development paths
among adolescents and create situations that will foster higher thinking skills through:
1. Activities at home, e.g., asking teenage children for suggestions on family
matters—house physical arrangements, things to buy, places to go for family
outings, etc.
2. Allowing more independence, e.g., use of school allowances, choice of what to
wear, etc.
3. Activities in school that allow participation, such as projects, field trips, joint
internet research, etc.,
4. Develop reading skills through magazine articles and Internet blogs.
Developing occupational skills
Senior High School Grades 11 and 12 were designed to provide attention to
occupational skills that are absent even among college graduates. The Department of
Labor and Employment reports that there is a mismatch between academic preparation
and job skills, thus worsening the gap between employable school graduates and
potential jobs or employment. Theorist John Holland has identified basic personality
factors that match attitude and work preferences:
 Realistic. This personality type prefers practical tasks, including those requiring physical
labor and motor coordination, and less interpersonal skills (e.g., carpentry, driving, etc.).
 Investigative. This prefers tasks that are conceptual, such as in the fields of science and
technology as chemists, scientists, technologists, etc.
 Conventional. This prefers structured tasks that cater to the needs of others, such as in
office jobs and manual labor.
 Enterprising. this prefers independence and innovation in business and other enterprises
that reflect autonomy and personal initiative.
 Artistic. this prefers unstructured tasks that show ability for self-expression, such as
those of artists, musicians, and performers. They also show capability for multitasking.
Later on, we will perform tasks that are conceptual in the fields of science and
technology, such as chemists, scrotus technologists, etc.

Adolescents may also show the capability of multitasking. later on becoming

professionals such as doctors who are at the same time business entrepreneurs. Early
on, adolescents may show abilities for gainful work, later on becoming self-supporting in
college, by entering the service sector as fast-food employees, sales clerks, office
messengers, and utility personnel.
These adolescent attitudes and abilities demonstrate:
 self-reliance: working independently without stress;
 money management: not spending money on luxuries, much less on alcohol and drugs;
 social responsibility: cooperation and respect for others, including superiors; • mature
work orientation: pride in work and quality of work;
 personal responsibility: assuming tasks independently and competitively; and
 a positive attitude toward work: work is seen as a gainful and wholesome activity and not
a burden.